The Craft and Design Institute – a non-profit company with over 20 years of success in developing creative people, small businesses and the craft and design sector at large in South Africa – is calling all craft and design entrepreneurs to apply for their newly launched project called Supporting Creatives Accelerating Local Enterprises (SCALE). This initiative will see 200 South African craft and design entrepreneurs benefit from bespoke training and mentorship specifically designed for creatives and a boost of R23 000 in grant funding each.
The SCALE programme aims to provide growth-oriented informal enterprises looking to grow their revenue, increase their personal income or employ new staff with grant support, access to markets, training, and mentorship.
The SCALE programme brings together a suite of tried-and-tested services from CDI to support the growth of self-employed business owners in the informal segment of the craft and design sector.
The project is also supported by contributions from existing funding partners of the CDI, such as the City of Cape Town. It will add value to the agglomeration of services supported by other funders of the CDI, such as the national departments of Small Business Development and Sports, Arts and Culture, the V&A Waterfront and others.
Individual Business Assessments will be offered to successful applicants to assist in creating a road map. This will be followed by three months of specially designed training (via online learning), the facilitation of participation in the CDI’s national product market platform www.PEEK.org.za, and the development of an intervention/action plan for the R23 000 grant disbursements. The grant can be used to purchase equipment and/or other professional services.
Successful applicants will also get administrative support to the value of R5 000 and a total allocation of airtime/data to the value of R3 000.
Applications are now open until 16 February on the CDI website at www.thecdi.org.za. The first cohort of 100 selected entrepreneurs will start on the programme in April.
